AUSTIN — LSU’s second-ranked Lady Tigers held off a strong second-half comeback by the eighth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears for a 71-70 victory on Sunday afternoon in the State Farm Hall of Fame Tipoff Classic at the University of Texas Erwin Center.
LSU (3-0) led by 19, 43-24, at the half, but Baylor (0-1) chipped away and tied the score a 69-69 with 1:40 left in the game. Seimone Augustus, who finished the game with a career-high and classic record 33 points, connected on a 15-foot jumper to give LSU at 71-69 lead. Baylor’s Sophia Young, who ended with 21 points, hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to one.
LSU then missed a jumper on the next possession and used a defensive stop in final 26 second to hang on to the team’s third victory in four days.
“The kids hung in there and it was fitting that the game ended with a defensive stop,” LSU head coach Pokey Chatman said.
Temeka Johnson added 15 points, nine assists and a team-high seven rebounds to the victory, while Augustus also pulled down six boards to go with her 33 points.
“I was proud of our kids today,” Chatman added. “They beat a quality opponent in adverse conditions on the road in a hostile environment.”
A crowd of 7,387, consisting of mostly Texas and Baylor fans, filled the Erwin Center.
Steffanie Blackmon led Baylor with 22 points, including 14 in the second half.
LSU used a pair of 8-0 runs in the first half to pull away and take as much as a 21-point lead before leading 43-24 at the break.
The Lady Tigers will take a week off before hosting Southern Miss next Sunday in Houma, La., at the Civic Center.